From Little League to the Major Leagues, playoff baseball is always fresh, entertaining and unpredictable.
The one-and-done model in Maine high school baseball raises the stakes even higher, and gives underdog teams an opportunity to flourish, through strong pitching and managerial creativity.
Here are six storylines to follow across the state, beginning Tuesday afternoon.
Hampden’s championship drought
The Hampden Academy Broncos have never won a gold glove, but believe this could be their year. They have a run differential of plus-63, five batters hitting at least .310, and an elite trio of pitchers in senior Collin Peckham, junior Kaysen Wildman and junior Bodie Bishop. With a 15-1 record and the No. 1 ranking across all four classes, Hampden checks off all the boxes. They’ll have a tough test to begin the Class A playoffs, versus No. 8 Brewer at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Foxcroft Academy and Washington Academy collision course
The Ponies (15-1; plus-139 run differential) and Raiders (14-2; plus-132 run differential) are the runaway favorites to meet in the Class C North championship game, and already played two epic games this season: on May 4, Foxcroft won 4-3 in 18 innings, and on May 11, Foxcroft walked it off 2-1 in eight. Led by Jadon Richard and Trevor Shimabukuro respectively, these are two star-studded teams that would go all out in a prospective rematch.
Bangor’s unproven arms
Last year, senior pitchers Matt Holmes and Wyatt Stevens — the duo now play at Husson — led No. 7 Bangor to the regional championship game after an 8-8 season. This year, Bangor’s sophomore-heavy pitching staff led by Kyle Johnson and Teddy Stephenson has been on both sides of the mercy rule, but the Rams’ offensive depth has guided Bangor to Class A North’s No. 4 seed, scoring 7.2 runs per game. It remains unclear how Maine’s most decorated ballclub will fare this June, beginning at 2 p.m., Thursday versus No. 5 Oxford Hills.
Ellsworth-Old Town rivalry
Ellsworth and Old Town have been Class B’s bluebloods in recent years, meeting in three straight regional title games and winning two state titles each since 2019. This year, Coyotes (12-4; No. 3 seed) freshman Tyler Priest and Julian Duty shut out the Eagles 2-0 on April 26, but Ellsworth (15-1; No. 1 seed) responded with a resounding 7-3 victory on May 16 at home, led by sophomores Dawson Curtis and Jackson Barry. Both teams are well-balanced and battle-tested, with strong feeder programs. Unless No. 2 Lawrence shows up in the postseason, Ellsworth and Old Town will likely meet again in the B North final.
St. Dominic’s threepeat bid
Led by seniors Ridge Dionne (catcher), Ashton Hammond (pitcher) and Timothee Oullette (pitcher), the St. Dominic Saints of Lewiston-Auburn have won two Class D state championships in a row — including a 2023 victory over Bangor Christian and Mr. Baseball Jason Libby — and are primed to win their third straight this June. St. Dom’s has Class D South’s No. 1 seed with a 14-2 record, having played a majority Class C schedule.
Class A South’s reign
Following Bangor’s stretch of five straight Class A titles from 2014-2018, South Portland, Scarborough and Thornton Academy have shared the limelight, accounting for all four gold gloves since 2019 (including back-to-back shutouts the past two years). At 15-1 with a nine-game winning streak, Scarborough is primed to rise again, and Falmouth (13-3; No. 7 state ranking) is looking strong too. A North and A South haven’t crossed over this regular season, so the June 15th championship game will carry plenty of suspense.
Preliminary round games will begin June 4, followed by regional quarterfinal and semifinal games through June 8. All regional final and state final games will be held on neutral sites on June 11 and 15, respectively. Tournament brackets can be found on the MPA website.
